Season of Change
by CaptainMalcolmReynolds
Summary: As Marinette gets ready to head to Lycee, she finds herself spending more time with Kitty Section, getting to know Luka. By the time school rolls around they're dating. He said they were. So why won't he kiss her?
1. Autumn Magic

_This story is written for Lukanette Week! It is set shortly after the Season 3 Finale, and as such, does contain spoilers. _

School was out for the summer. It was a bittersweet time for Marinette, as she and her friends had finished college, and would be starting at different lycees in the fall. Marinette would be attending a lycee that specialized in the arts, literature, and economics, Lycee Paul-Valery. Thankful that she wouldn't be alone, Rose, Juleka, Nathaniel, Mark and Nino would also be in her year, and Luka was already a student there.

Most of her friends were going to a local school, Lycee Charlemagne, while Adrien, Kagami and Chloe were attending Lycee Louis-le-Grand, one of the most prestigious in the city. While Marinette knew that she would miss them, she was excited to make a brand new start, and begin being able to explore design and improve her art at a school with excellent teachers.

Summer was traditionally a time for Marinette to spend additional time baking and designing, but ever since Kitty Section had been shown on Alec Cataldi's show, they'd been getting offers to perform. Rose and Ivan's parents had said that they could play on weekends only until summer, so they were limited in their choices, but with summer vacation upon them, the band had quite a few gigs.

As the band worked on more songs, Marinette often joined them on the _Liberty_, primarily to design additional stage clothes, so they could switch it up based on the venue and setlist. However, even when she didn't have to be there, she told herself that the creative spirit in the room inspired her as she allowed the music to flow over her. Her overall creativity increased, and the designs that she made just for herself came more freely.

She spent less time with Alya and Nino over the summer. With Adrien travelling Europe with his father, using the beautiful weather as a backdrop for a variety of photoshoots and fashion shows around the Mediterranean, she felt like a third wheel, even when they insisted she wasn't. For her part, Marinette was relieved to be away from Adrien for the summer, especially as he started spending his free time with Kagami. The two would be dating soon, she mused, if they weren't already.

Chat had warned her that he wouldn't always be around during the summer, and without Master Fu around any longer, she'd talked out what to do with Chat. Without him being able to tell her when he'd be in town and when he wouldn't, they decided to have three long-term substitutes, so that Ladybug would not be stranded on her own for the summer. After much discussion, the two decided on Rena Rouge, Carapace and Viperion. Chat would be at battles when he could, but they couldn't count on him showing up.

Ladybug had talked with the other three heroes, taking time to meet up with them, individually and in groups while transformed, so they could become more comfortable with their powers. Shockingly, Hawkmoth had been incredibly quiet all summer, only two akumas in the weeks since school got out, and not many between Chloe's last akumitization and the end of school.

The lull in activity made everyone nervous, unsure as to whether Hawkmoth was gathering allies for another major attack, biding his time, or just giving the heroes a summer vacation… although they all seriously doubted it was the latter.

It was a quiet day, late in July, after the echoes of Kitty Section's latest rehearsal had been swallowed up by the Seine. Rose, Juleka, and Ivan had gone to meet up withMylene and wander around a farmer's market/craft fair, while Marinette had barely noticed their departure, all of her attention focused on her sketchbook, humming when they invited her along, but not looking up.

Luka offered to stay with her saying that he wanted to work out the melody he had in his head. Juleka smirked at him, but they all left the two of them alone. Luka strummed his guitar, mind half on the melody, half on the girl sitting across the deck from him, laser-focused on her sketchbook like it was a lifeline.

An hour and a half later, Marinette finally surfaced, looking around at the nearly empty deck, blinking in the bright afternoon sun until she focused on Luka. He smiled at her, asking after her designs. She lit up, and walked over to show them off, perching next to him on the trunk he was sitting on. She showed him the outfits she had designed, a light blue, knee-length sundress, with her signature pink floral design work crawling up from the bottom right hem to hug the left hip, wrapping around the back and around to the front again on the right side of the chest, finishing at the middle of the neckline.

The next page had a matching outfit, only this time, the men's version. Shorts in the same shade of light blue, a white t-shirt with a pocket, emblazoned with a single pink flower, and a short sleeved blue hoodie with a hidden floral pattern in black on the inside of the hood.

Something caught his eye on the hidden floral pattern, and he leaned in to look, then flipped back to study the design on the sundress. He grinned at the tiny musical notes that he saw there, his eyes searching out Marinette's. She had a pink blush staining her cheeks, and she was tapping her fingers together nervously.

"It's beautiful work, Marinette. I love the hidden musical notes. You are incredibly talented."

Her blush deepened. "Thank you Luka, it must have been the beautiful music I was hearing that inspired me."

It was Luka's turn to blush slightly, but as he looked at the girl sitting next to him, and the designs that she'd drawn, and took a deep breath. "Would you like to go and get some ice cream with me?"

She'd been smiling before, but her face lit up at the suggestion. "I would love to!"

Leaving her sketchbook on Luka's bed, next to his guitar, the pair headed out. As they wandered towards the last place Andre had been seen, they turned into a street that was busier than the others they'd been walking down. Marinette started getting buffeted a little, due to her small stature, and Luka grabbed her hand so they wouldn't be separated.

After they made it through the street, Luka glanced at his companion and loosened his grip on her hand. She shifted hers, and he went to pull away, but felt her interlacing her fingers with his. His eyes shot up to her face, and he smiled reassuringly at her hesitant look, squeezing her hand, and causing pink to bloom on her cheeks. They walked the rest of the way, holding hands, neither able to wipe the goofy smile off their faces.

* * *

By the time mid-August rolled around, the pair were officially dating, splitting their time between Kitty Section, hanging out on their own, and spending time with Alya and Nino, Marinette no longer feeling like a third wheel.

She was staying the night at Alya's one evening, the best friends catching up after having had little time to talk together over the past week or so, and Marinette suddenly turned to her, nervously. "Alya? Are you alright with me dating Luka? I know how much energy you put into trying to get me together with Adrien, and now I'm with someone else entirely. Does that bother you?" She couldn't meet her friend's eyes until she felt Alya's arms go around her shoulders.

"Girl, of course I'm alright. I'm thrilled for you. I've always been Team Marinette. Whichever guy makes you happy, or even if nobody does… I support you. Now, I need deets about your date yesterday. Has he kissed you yet?"

Marinette blushed. "Alya!"

"That's a no, then."

Marinette groaned and flopped back on Alya's bed. "Ugh. He has kissed my cheek, the top of my head, my temple, and even my hand one time when he was goofing around." She sighed heavily. "But when it comes to actual kissing, the timing has never been right."

She sat back up and looked at her friend, worry etched all over her face. "Do you think he doesn't want to kiss me?"

Alya looked at her in shock and then burst out laughing. "Are you kidding? That boy is crazy about you. He's probably waiting until you are ready."

"I'm ready! I have been for weeks. We're starting school soon, and we won't see each other as much. My parents won't let me stay out as late on weeknights." Marinette was almost wailing by the end, her hands covering her face.

Alya flopped next to her, gently tugging Marinette's hands from her face. "Come on girl. You guys will be going to the same school! I'm the one who'll be missing out on my Marinette time."

Laughing, Marinette threw her right arm around her best friend. "Don't worry. We can always text, and we will see each other all the time. I'll have classes with Nino, too, so I can keep you in baked goods."

Alya bumped her with her shoulder and laughed.

* * *

School started up the next week. Marinette felt a little overwhelmed in her new school, and while there were a few familiar faces, there was nothing like college where she knew almost everyone. She got turned around on the way to her second class, and an older boy with kind brown eyes saw her rising panic, and asked if she needed help. She smiled at him, nodding, showing him her schedule. He grinned down at her. "I know where this is. It's two doors down from my classroom. I'll walk you there." They started walking, turning right into a corridor where Marinette had turned left. "I'm Louis, by the way."

"I'm Marinette."

"And this is your French History class. I'm right over there." He pointed at a room across the hall and two doors down. "Let me know if you need help finding another class." He waved and headed towards his classroom.

After class, Marinette and Juleka, who had been in her history class, and were about to head to lunch, when they heard a familiar voice coming from the hallway behind them. Luka and Louis were walking together towards them. Juleka mumbled something about embarrassing older brothers, but Marinette lit up, sliding into his arms for a quick hug before tucking her hand into his. "Hi Luka! Hi Louis!"

Luka turned a surprised expression towards his friend, who grinned. "Hey, man. She was lost and I just helped her find her class. I didn't realize she was the reason you kept ditching us all summer."

He blushed guiltily, but squeezed Marinette's hand. "Worth every minute."

"You didn't tell me you were ditching your friends! Now they're going to…"

"Nope." He cut her off. "My friends, my choice." He reached over and brushed her hair back from her face. "You matter. So do they, but they'll understand." He kissed the top of her head, deepening the blush that had bloomed when he'd stroked her face along with her hair.

"Did you want to come sit with me at lunch or do you want to join your friends?"

Marinette looked at Juleka who just smiled at her, letting her know the choice was hers. She beamed up at Luka. "I'd love to sit with you, if your friends are alright with that."

Louis grinned at her. "Oh, trust me… we've all been dying to meet you."

The blush that had just started dying down flared back up on Marinette's face. Luka took pity on her and turned to his sister. "What about you, Jule? Plenty of room for you guys, too."

She just shook her head, grinning at him and mumbling that while Marinette might put up with him, she had to deal with him often enough. The siblings pulled faces at each other, then Juleka was hailed by Rose, and she headed off with a wave, and an admonishment not to hog Marinette every day.

As he predicted, Luka's friends were very excited to meet Marinette. While she was initially a little overwhelmed as everyone talked at her at once, Luka couldn't complain as she snuggled a little closer into his side, and he stroked her back absently until she was comfortable. But by the end of their lunch period, she was holding court, and all of his friends were enamoured with her.

Luka walked Marinette to her next class, but warned her that she was on her own for her final class of the day, as he was all the way across campus in the music wing. Laughing, she swatted his arm and said she'd be fine. He grinned down and her, and dropped a gentle kiss against her hair before heading for his own classroom.

Before she knew it, the first week of school was over, and Alya was spending the night at her house, to dissect their different schools. Alya was lamenting the lack of Nino at her school, and Marinette had been regaling her with funny stories of their former college classmates, when Alya turned to her best friend, eyes glittering excitedly. "So… has he kissed you yet?"

Marinette's face fell as she shook her head. "No." She sighed deeply. "And it doesn't look like he will anytime soon, either."

Shrugging, Alya asked, "So why don't you kiss him? You know he likes you, and won't object. If you don't want to do that, well, you should at least talk to him about it."

Marinette fretted over Alya's words all evening, and into the next day. When Luka came over to take her out that morning, she'd worked herself up about it. The rain that was falling prevented them from taking the walk that they'd been planning, so when Luka arrived at the bakery, Sabine sent him up to Marinette's room. He knocked, and heard her squeak and a thud, before she called for him to come in.

He laughed as he saw her picking herself up off the floor. She looked up at him, and huffed a breath, before the words tumbled out of her mouth. "Luka, I think I've waited long enough."

Before he could ask what she was talking about, she grabbed him by the lapels of his hoodie, pressing her lips against his. Their first kiss was awkward and off center, but warm and over entirely too quickly, and it sent tingles across his skin.

Once he was prepared, their second kiss was much better, his arms wrapped around her waist, his lips pressed firmly against hers, one of her hands spread against his chest, the other sneaking up to toy with the hair at the nape of his neck. In fact, all of the many kisses they shared that rainy afternoon were wonderful, and he would have been hard pressed to pick a favorite.

When she talked to Alya that night, Marinette was happy to report that Luka definitely not opposed to kissing her.


	2. Sweater Weather

_As the weather cools down, things heat up for our favorite couple. _

* * *

Unfortunately, as school started up, so too did Hawkmoth's attacks. Marinette found herself grateful for the excuse of getting lost whenever she was separated from her class or late getting back. She was incredibly thankful that Hawkmoth had not akumatized anyone at her school, although they were still evacuated to safe areas whenever the akuma alerts sounded. It had only been three weeks, but fortunately none of her teachers connected the fact that she'd been missing for all 7 akuma attacks.

As Guardian, she realized that she probably should have taken back the miraculous from those she'd given them to over the summer, but after the third akuma attack on the first week of school, she'd admitted to Chat Noir that it was nice not to have to run off to find people, leaving him alone to distract the akuma. They'd discussed all the pros and cons of the situation, and decided that it made sense for the current holders to retain their miraculous.

While some akumas showed up at her old college, the 6 out of the 7 akumas that appeared during school hours were at either Lycee Charlemagne or Lycee Louis-le-Grand. Five additional akumas had shown up at other times, making Marinette feel that Hawkmoth was making up for his silence over the summer.

It was at the fourteenth akuma attack in September, Mr. Pigeon, once again, who had struck shortly after school let out for the weekend, that Ladybug asked if the team could meet together that evening. Viperion requested a later meeting time, if possible, as he had a part time job, and hated to skip out on shifts unless he had to. Everyone agreed to meet up that night on 'their' rooftop, a flat roof in a quiet office park that they met at to train together over the summer.

That evening, Viperion was the last to arrive, although Rena Rouge and Carapace had arrived together only a few minutes before. Ladybug smiled at them. "I wanted to thank you guys for all the hard work you've been doing over the past few weeks. We knew the lack of activity this summer was leading to something big… but if this is it, wearing us out, we want as many allies as we can. We want you to keep the miraculous indefinitely. Come to the fights as you can. If you can't make it, don't worry."

"As a thanks, I brought you some treats from Chat and I's favorite bakery." Opening the box from her parent's bakery showed that she had chosen everyone's favorite treats. Everyone grabbed something as Ladybug smiled, having made the treats specifically for them that evening.

As they ate, Ladybug shivered. "It's getting cold early this year." Viperion and Carapace nodded, but the other two gave her an odd look.

"It's actually been pretty mild so far this year." Chat added, and Rena nodded enthusiastically. "I've barely felt the cold at all."

Rena looked around at the group and laughed. "Have any of you noticed any traits of your animal bleeding through? I just noticed that the endothermic creatures are finding it to be a mild year, while the ectotherms are cold."

Ladybug laughed. "I'm definitely colder outside of my suit… although that's kinda normal for me."

Viperion nodded. "I've definitely felt the bite of the wind more, and I spent more time this summer curled up in the sun, just trying to soak it in."

Carapace, too, nodded. "I've always been a night owl, but I've been finding myself drawn to the sun, as well. And this summer, I couldn't stay out of the water! I fell in love with swimming in a way I never had before."

"I definitely wanted to nap more… but my schedule is always so busy, that naps sound wonderful. I also want to snuggle at every opportunity." Chat grinned ruefully. "But that could just be me, as well."

They all laughed at Chat, and Ladybug scooched over next to him, and started scratching behind his ears. They all laughed as he leaned into her hand, a rumbling purr bursting from his throat. Blushing bright red, Chat pulled away from Ladybug, who just patted his knee.

Smirking, Carapace reached over and scratched Rena behind the ear as well. Her left leg spasmed, kicking out twice, and then a purr rumbled from her as well. It wasn't as loud as Chat's, but it was still a distinctive purr. Ladybug squealed with delight. "I didn't even know foxes purred! Do it again, please Cap!"

Grinning at Ladybug, then turning to Rena Rouge, who was glaring at him, Carapace quickly snatched his hand back, and smiled sheepishly at Ladybug. "I'd better not, dude, I might get my hand bitten off."

Rena shoved him hard enough to topple him, and by the time Carapace was upright again, they were both laughing.

They spent another half an hour together on the roof, swapping stories and teasing each other. It was relaxing and supportive, and everyone left feeling confident in their teammates.

When Luka arrived home, he immediately sent Marinette a text, apologizing for getting home so late, and hoping that she had a good evening. Then he jumped in the shower, and put on pajama pants and an old t-shirt before grabbing up his phone again. He grinned at the series of texts he had received from Marinette.

M: Hey! Just got home myself.

M: Was hanging out with Alya.

M: I hope you were treated well.

M: You work so hard.

M: Let me know what you want to do tomorrow. Maybe something inside. It's getting cold!

He grinned and messaged her back that he'd be happy just hanging out with her, but rolled his eyes at her suggestion of a gaming tournament. He loved the feisty side of her, but sometimes her competitiveness wore on him. There were only so many hundreds of times you could lose the same game.

L: I don't think you can beat me any more. How about homework and a movie?

One of Luka's favorite things to do was just to spend time, curled together up with Marinette. Her presence inspired his creativity, and he felt the music flowing so freely when they were together. He knew that she felt the same way about her designs, and she often got the urge to sketch when they were together, especially if he was playing.

M: Sounds great. Sweet dreams.

She couldn't wait to see Luka the next day. She'd spent all evening with him, but he didn't realize it. Marinette, well, Ladybug, she corrected herself, had to scoot away from Viperion and closer to Chat, just so that she didn't reach over and touch him. It was amazing to her how physically connected they were to each other. A brush of hands here, a tap on the leg there. Just constant little reminders that the other was there and was real.

Luka arrived late the next morning, and they settled up in Marinette's room, comfortably stretched out on the floor, surrounded by pillows. Marinette was propped up on her elbows, working on maths, while Luka was on his back, his book held above his face with one hand, fingers unconsciously tapping out a tune on Marinette's back with the other.

When he started humming, she leaned over and kissed his temple. Luka looked over at her. "You were being distracting." She huffed as he went back to humming, intentionally this time. She shoved his shoulder, intending to roll him over, but he was as strong as she was, and he didn't budge. When Marinette pouted, he leaned forward, kissing her outturned lip. Homework forgotten for the moment, they both leaned into the kiss drawing warmth, comfort and pleasure from it.

Homework finished, they took a break for lunch, and Luka pulled out his guitar when they were done eating. Marinette pulled out her knitting needles, and a project started in a chunky green ombre, smiling to herself as Luka strummed to the beat of her stitches.

* * *

Monday at school, Marinette was prepared for the temperatures, dressed in a handmade pink sweater. She met Nino and Rose on the front steps, and held out a neatly wrapped gift to Nino. "Happy Birthday, Nino!" She grinned at her friend. "I know you've been complaining about the temperature in some of the classrooms." Nino smiled as Marc walked up with one of their new friends.

"Complaining? He hardly ever shuts up about how cold it is. When it isn't even that cold!" Marc laughed, and everyone joined in, even Nino.

As he unwrapped his present, Marinette felt strong arms wrap around her waist, and a chin nestle itself on her right shoulder. She caught a blur of teal out of the corner of her eye, and she reached up to run her fingers through Luka's hair. Next to them, she heard Juleka mutter "Happy Birthday" to Nino as she stepped closer to Rose.

Tucking the wrapping safely away in his bag, Nino held up a hand knit sweater in shades of green. "Thank you Dudette! It's perfect!" He stepped forward to give Marinette a hug, dislodging Luka with a finger to the forehead, as the musician grumbled good naturedly, but relinquished Marinette into her friend's embrace.

"So…" He grinned down at Marinette. "Where's my sweater. I'm cold, too, you know."

She smiled sweetly up at him. "I know. That's why I have yours right here." Reaching into her bag, she pulled out an unwrapped sweater in shades of blue, and handed it over to him.

Luka's eyes grew huge, not expecting that she had actually made him a sweater. As he unfolded it, he saw the shades of blue falling into each other and overlapping, melting together like the many shades of the sea. "It's beautiful! I love it!" He crushed Marinette into a hug, dropping a kiss on the top of her head, before releasing her and pulling the sweater over his own head.

Nino was pulling his sweater on as well, as Luka scooped her up into his arms, kissing her soundly to the applause and catcalls of their friends. He was just setting her down as the bell rang, summoning students to class. He gave her one last quick peck as they entered the building, then split off in the opposite direction a goofy smile on his face, as she strolled to her first class which she shared with Nino, Juleka and Nathaniel.


	3. RestRelaxation

_Sleepy Marinette and a confession. _

* * *

It was halfway through Milan's fashion week. There had been no akumas since Saturday night, and Marinette was eternally grateful. Whenever she wasn't in school (and occasionally when she was), she was glued to the screen, watching the never ending lineup of models parading new clothes down the runway. She sat with her sketchpad open, brimming with new ideas.

Luka loved watching her, and split his time between sitting near her, strumming on his guitar, her creativity serving as his inspiration, and sitting there, with Marinette curled up in his lap, listening to her exclaim over a cut or a drape or some other little detail that he didn't understand, but excited her to no end.

She would gasp about something, and turn her head to look up at him, her expressive eyes shining, and he would listen until she wound down, then just lean forward, capturing her lips with his. She would sigh and relax into him, eyes fluttering closed, until she pulled away, always too soon for his liking, and turned back to the screen.

They were laying on his bed, Luka curled protectively around Marinette, one hand resting on her stomach, nose nuzzling her ear as he drifted in and out of sleep. He really didn't mind indulging her, she indulged him in his music often enough, but he just couldn't see what she did, and so it didn't hold his interest. He didn't object to snuggling his girlfriend, even if her attention was elsewhere, and so he lay there, mind wandering, sleep hovering at the edge of his consciousness.

When Luka opened his eyes, the light in the room had disappeared, only a sliver of sun still peaked over the horizon, and Marinette had shifted, facing him, phone forgotten, one delicate hand tucked under the hem of the sweater that he wore whenever he could, the blue one she had knit for him.

He glanced at the clock and swore softly. Leaning forward and kissing her temple, he whispered softly to her. "Mari. Wake up. You have fifteen minutes before you need to be home"

She mumbled something and pressed closer, her hand sliding across his stomach, and the sensation, even over his cotton t-shirt, made him seriously reconsider taking her home. He kissed her cheek, and her face lifted, her lips searching for his, letting loose a greedy little moan when she found them.

Marinette's hand that was not currently inside his sweater lazily trailed it's way up his side, and he lost all willpower to be a gentleman. Deepening the kiss, he pulled her tighter against him, hand resting at the small of her back, until the sound of footsteps coming towards the cabin door cut through the haze in his head, and he pulled back, panting.

Marinette's eyes fluttered open, and gazed up at him, breathless and full of questions, until she, too, heard the footsteps and hurried to sit up. As she did, she caught a glimpse of the clock and leaped up, barely avoiding tumbling to the floor. "Oh no! Is that the time? I'm sorry, Luka, I have to get going. I didn't mean to fall asleep. Maman and Papa are going to worry if I'm not home!"

They heard a laugh come from the other side of the door, and the footsteps withdrew again, as Marinette slipped her shoes back on. "Call your parents. Let them know I'll walk you home, and we're on our way."

"No! It's OK. If I run I won't be too late!" Marinette jogged to the door, looked back, and turned around to fully look at Luka. She ran back, throwing herself into his arms for one more kiss, pulling away before she got in too deep, already not wanting to stop. She smiled and waved, this time running out without looking back.

Ducking into an alley a few streets away from the Seine, Marinette opened her purse to look down at her friend. "Tikki, I'm going to need your help to get home fast! Alright?" At her kwami's nod, she transformed, and dropped into the alley by her house 2 minutes after she told her parents she would be home. She dashed through the door, out of breath, and her parents just smiled at her, asking after her day.

* * *

Later that night, while she was out on patrol with Chat Noir, Ladybug stopped him before they went their separate ways. "Hey, Chat. I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure Bugaboo, what's on your mind?"

She motioned to a rooftop that had a spectacular view of the city, and the pair sat down, Chat leaning back against the pitch of the roof, Ladybug sitting up nervously. Silence wrapped itself around them for a few minutes, and Chat closed his eyes, arms crossed behind his head, catlike in his laid-back appearance, only the twitching of his tail giving him away.

As the silence went on, the tension stretched thinner, to the point where Chat thought it would snap, when Ladybug spoke, very softly, but easy for his sensitive hearing to pick up. "I'm dating someone now."

He sat up so quickly, he almost slipped off the roof, but he caught himself, and Ladybug smirked as she helped haul him back up beside her. He turned to her and smiled sadly. "So, Mr. Oblivious finally opened his eyes, did he?"

"No. That was always just a fantasy. He's in love with someone else, and I don't blame him. She's straightforward and tough, and a good match for him. No, I let go of my blinders, and saw someone who has always been there for me, someone that my heart had been calling for, but whose gentle warmth I ignored, hoping to catch a ray of the blazing sun." She smiled ruefully. "Sorry, that was really corny."

Chat shifted, ready to open his mouth, but Ladybug held up her hand, forestalling him. "I know you are always there for me, Chaton, but…" She trailed off and gestured down at their suits. "How are we supposed to build any kind of relationship if we don't even know each other's name?"

"That's easily fixed, Milady."

Ladybug sighed. "Chat, you _know_ we can't do that. It's too dangerous. I'm sorry, Kitty." She put her hand on his arm. "If we knew each other outside of the suits, then, maybe. But not now. I'm sorry. He's a great guy, and I really want this to work."

"I understand, Ladybug."

"Chat, you are an amazing guy, and any girl would be lucky to have you. It just can't be me."

He sighed and looked up at the night sky overhead. "You've been telling me that for a year, I guess I have to believe you now." He leaned towards her, and she enveloped him in a hug.

They stayed that way for a few moments before Ladybug gently disengaged herself. As she readied herself to leave, she smiled at her partner. "It's been a quiet week. Be ready for the other shoe to drop."

At that, Chat Noir managed a real smile, and nodded to Ladybug as he pulled out his baton and bounded away.

* * *

The next morning, Marinette smiled, gripping her coffee mug tight, as she sleepily nuzzled her face into Luka's freshly washed blue sweater, inhaling the scent of detergent and him, as they sat on the steps of school, waiting for the first bell to ring. Luka's fingers in her hair were having the opposite effect to her coffee, making her want to just tumble back into sleep.

The conversation flowed around her. She could hear the rumble of Luka's voice as he chatted with his friends, but understanding individual words was beyond her. She'd spent a lot of the previous night tossing and turning with guilt, both about hurting her partner, even though she'd never led him to believe that she wanted a romantic relationship from him, and because she couldn't explain to Luka that she'd spent time with another guy, letting him down easy because she was crazy about her boyfriend.

The bell rang, jolting her from the soporific effects of Luka stroking her hair, and he kissed the top of her head, chuckling. "Come on sleeping beauty. Time to head to class." Once they entered the building, he gave her a chaste kiss on the lips, and passed her into Nino's care, knowing her friend would steer her towards class.


	4. Clothes Swap

_OK... this one gets a warning. There is approximately 3.2 seconds of non-__consensual touching in this chapter (on the stomach). It is resolved, and our bunnies talk about it afterwards, but it is there. Remember... no means no, whether the other person enjoys it or not._

* * *

Marinette had not been idle for the rest of fashion week, nor had she been sitting around moping (too much) when Luka picked up a few extra work shifts the next week. The pair saw each other at school, but not much outside of were a few akuma attacks, but nothing at the level that Marinette had been worried about.

Viperion missed one of the fights, not a tough one by any means, but Ladybug did swing by to check on him, seeing him fast asleep in a chair on the deck of the Liberty, still clutching his guitar. Gently taking it out of his hands, and putting it on the guitar stand near him, she grabbed a blanket out of one of the sea chests on deck, and covered him with it, glancing around to make sure they were alone, and dropped a gentle kiss on his cheek, before swinging away, back towards the bakery.

Saturday, a week after the Milan Fashion week had ended, Marinette and Luka were finally able to spend some time together. She arrived onboard the Liberty, to hang out with Juleka and Rose, while Luka was still sleeping. Marinette had a large bag for him, tucked in the corner, full of things that she wouldn't let the girls see.

Rose and Juleka were companionably arguing the benefits of scrambled vs. fried eggs for breakfast, when Luka finally emerged from his room, barefoot, pajama pants rumpled and hair tousled from sleep. He was in the process of pulling a t-shirt on over his head, and muttered from the depths of it that he's willing to eat either, just so long as it isn't pizza, when he heard a squeak from the couch.

Turning, he saw Marinette sitting there, legs tucked up under her, cup of hot chocolate in her hand, blush crawling up her neck, staring at him in a way that woke him up instantly. He smiled at her, his eyes ensnaring hers, like a snake hypnotizing a mouse, before he brought his face close to hers, plucked the mug from her hand, and took a swig.

Blinking, Marinette swatted at his arm as he dropped down on the couch next to her, laughing, upending the cup into his mouth, and wincing at its sweetness. "Good morning, beautiful. Thank you for the drink." His sleep-roughened voice sent a thrill through Marinette, and she had to shake herself to bring her mind back to the present, as Rose 'aww'ed at their cuteness, while Juleka made not-so-subtle gagging noises while she grinned at her brother.

"Oh!" Marinette jumped up and grabbed the box of assorted breakfast pastries that she brought with her, even though the time was already pushing noon, handing the box to Luka. He chose one and offered the box to the girls, who laughed and admitted they've had a couple in the past hour. Luka looked guiltily at the clock, and apologized, but Marinette waved it away, mentioning they were going to start the movie marathon without him, anyway.

Jumping up again, she grabbed the bag she had stashed in the corner. Looking at her curiously, he glanced down at the bag, and then back up at Marinette. "What's this for?"

"You, silly." She responded with a grin, and when he leveled a deadpan look at her, she giggled. "You can't wear your blue sweater all the time!"

Reaching into the bag, he pulled out another handknit sweater, made by Marinette, this one in rich brown earth tones. The second sweater he pulled out was an inky black, that was much softer than the other two. He buried his face in the sweater, catching the faintest traces of sugar, vanilla and her, and smiled at her so tenderly, she felt her insides melting.

"Thank you, Marinette. This is the most amazing gift I've ever been given."

She smiled sweetly at him, as he leant over to capture her lips with his. The kiss was tender and sweet, with just a hint of something deeper, when, all of a sudden, Luka jerked back. He turned to glare at his sister, who had thrown the pillow at him.

"Keep going." Marinette urged him, and in surprise, he reached into the bag one more time. This time he pulled out a white t-shirt with a pink flower stitched into the pocket, and a sky blue hoodie, with flowers and musical notes hidden inside the hood. He held it up and studied it, grinning. "This is the one that you designed this summer, right? With a matching dress?"

Marinette stood, and the blanket slipped off her lap, revealing the dress she had drawn that summer, with a few tweaks. This time, both outfits were designed for keeping warm, rather than soaking up the sun, so the sky blue dress that Marinette was wearing was actually a sweater-dress rather than a sundress, and the hoodie was long sleeved as well as being fleece lined.

Luka stroked the lining of the hoodie, before reaching over and stroking the pattern that curled around Marinette's hip. "It was going to be tough to decide which sweater to wear first, but you've just made the choice for me. I'm going to go shower, then I'll be back. He leaned forward to kiss her once more, before gathering up his new treasures, and carrying them back to his bedroom.

He chuckled as he left the room, hearing Marinette ask the girls, "Did I finish my hot chocolate? I don't remember doing it."

* * *

As soon as he reappeared, Rose demanded that they take pictures in their matching outfits, and pink cheeked, they did, finding it hard to deny Rose anything, when she turned her huge blue eyes on them.

They started watching the movie, but chimes and buzzes coming from all three girls' phones served as a great enough distraction that Luka paused the movie. "Alright, ladies, what's going on.

Juleka laughed. "Rose sent a picture of you two being sickeningly cute to all our friends, and they're all writing back."

Luka sighed, pulling Marinette closer, as she tried to hide her violently blushing face in her hands. Smiling sweetly, Rose added, "I sent it to some of your friends, too!"

Snatching up his phone, Luka was thankful he had put it on silent. Twenty five missed messages and climbing. He set his phone back on the table, face down, and pulled Marinette into his lap. They snuggled together and watched the movies with Juleka and Rose, who kept hiding her face in Juleka's shoulder whenever the bad guy came on the screen.

They were about to start another movie when Rose's phone rang. They tried not to eavesdrop, but as she was sitting in the middle of the couch it was hard not to hear. "Yeah, Mama, we're just watching movies." There was a long pause "No. Captain Anarka is at work today. It's just me, Juleka, Marinette and Luka." Another pause. "Well can Juleka come over?" There was some murmuring they could hear through the phone, and Rose let out an excited squeal. "Thanks, Mama!"

She hung up the phone and smiled at Juleka. "I have to go home, but Mama said you could come sleepover." She looked at Marinette. "I'm sorry! I didn't think. Did you want to come too? I could call Mama back."

"No, Rose. That's fine. I have to head home in about an hour and a half, anyway." Rose gave her a thumbs up, and they headed into Juleka's room to grab some clothes. They waved to Luka and Marinette as they left, the pair finally having broken down and picked up their phones to answer the multitude of messages they received.

About 45 minutes later, Marinette heard a rumbling noise, and looked at Luka, questioningly. A minute later the low rumble came again, followed by the sound of pouring water. Glancing out the window, the cloud filled sky blotted out the sun, lending an air of twilight to the late afternoon.

Marinette's phone rang, and she answered it, talking to her mother who told her to stay where she was, giving permission to stay the night, as the storm was supposed to continue until the small hours of the morning. Sabine probably assumed that Rose and Juleka were still there, but since she didn't ask, Marinette didn't inform her of their change in plans.

Feeling only a little guilty, Marinette informed Luka of the new situation. He glanced at the clock. "Mom will me home in a little while. Do you want to help me make dinner? It's Juleka's turn, but..:" he shrugged.

Marinette nodded, smile a little strained, but wanting to ease the guilt that was softly nagging at her by helping out. Luka put together a simple stew, letting it simmer on the stove, while Marinette whipped together a bread dough, leaving it to proof by the stove.

While delicious smells filled the cabin of the boat, Marinette pulled out her sketchbook, and Luka grabbed his guitar. The sounds of the rain served as the percussion for the calming melody that flowed from the strings, in turn, influencing Marinette's designs toward gentle colors and softer edges.

Both were startled by the timer going off, but Marinette hopped up to stir the stew and put the risen dough into the oven. She walked back into the living room to hear Luka on the phone. "Yeah, Mom. Marinette's stranded here. Her parents said to stay the night." After a pause he went on. "No… they are at Rose's house." A much longer pause, and whatever his mother said caused a blush to crawl up the back of his neck and across his ears. "Of course, Mom." He sighed. "Yeah, I promise." One final pause. "Yeah. I love you too, Mom."

As he ended the call, Marinette said from behind him, "Your mom's stranded, too?"

"Yeah. She has to stay with one of her friends from work. It looks like it will be just us tonight." He looked a little nervous, but decided not to voice whatever he was thinking. "How long until the bread is ready?"

"About half an hour."

They sat back down to work, but the focus they had earlier was broken.

Dinner was delicious, neither surprised at the other's cooking skills, although Luka did ask Marinette if she would teach him how to bake desserts. She lit up at the suggestion, and started talking about all the things they could make.

After dinner, they curled back up on the couch to watch another movie, snuggled together, Marinette's head resting on his chest. The boat's normally gentle motion was getting stronger as the wind outside picked up.

Suddenly, the electricity went off, plunging them into darkness. Gripping Luka a little tighter, Marinette buried her face into his neck. He kissed her hair, his hand stroking her back reassuringly.

The power was out for less than 2 minutes, and then the boat's generator kicked on. The pair decided that they should probably conserve power, and shut the movie off, Marinette suddenly wondering if she would need to sleep in her dress.

Luka offered her one of his shirts, and she ducked into the bathroom to change into that, keeping the comfortable leggings that she was wearing on underneath. As slim as Luka was, the shirt still swam on her. Luka smiled when she emerged, having switched his jeans for a pair of flannel pajama pants.

They curled up together, on Luka's bed, talking about everything and nothing, the blankets wrapped around them. Luka leaned forwards and captured Marinette's lips with his, and her world became warmer.

They stayed like that for a while, sometimes with their lips pressed together, sometimes with their lips roaming across faces and down necks, stopping only when breathing became absolutely necessary.

Luka's face was buried in Marinette's neck when her hand hesitantly slipped under his shirt. He groaned into her shoulder at the feel of her soft hands, warm against his skin, his fingers tightening against her hip. His reaction must have emboldened her, because her fingers splayed against him, and, agonizingly slowly started exploring his skin.

The sensation was driving him crazy, and the combination of having Marinette in his bed, wearing his shirt, while her hands were running over his abs was very quickly pushing him to a point where he would be tempted to do things he wasn't sure he was ready for, no matter what his body was saying. "Stop." He groaned into her neck.

He wasn't sure if she heard, but Marinette didn't stop, her lips finding the shell of his ear. "Stop!" He said again, more forcefully. Already regretting it, although not as much as if he didn't stop her, he grabbed her hands at the wrist, and pulled them from his body, rolling out of bed to put some distance between them. Breathing heavily he strode across the room, reaching out, resting his arms on either side of the door frame as he tried to catch his breath.

On the bed, Marinette was sitting up, a little shocked, both at her own boldness, and the speed at which he had run off. "Luka? Are you ok?"

"Fine." He spat out, more forcefully than he meant to, angry, but unsure at whom. Himself for coming so close to losing control with her for the second time, or her for pushing him as if he wasn't already crazy about her, and terrified of screwing it all up.

Marinette shrank back on the bed at his tone. She didn't think she'd ever seen Luka angry before. Sure she had been there when he was akumatized, but she was embarrassed to say she hadn't been paying attention to him then, too wrapped up in her own righteous indignation with Bob Roth.

She watched his back as he stood there, breathing, trying to calm down, and watched his muscles relax, one by one, as he intentionally focused his will as he drew on his meditation practice. Finally, he turned to face her, his normal look of implacable calm back in place.

Seeing Marinette sitting on one side of the bed, he dropped to the other, leaning back against the wall, his head tipped back, looking at her intensely. "I'm sorry, Marinette." He reached for her hand, squeezing it between his, running his thumbs over her knuckles.

"I'm sorry, too, Luka. I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't upset me, Mari. I just think that we need to slow down. What we were doing just now, well, I wasn't sure if I would be able to stop. I mean, I like to think that I would be able to, but…" He sighed, covering his face with his hands, the tips of his ears going red. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Luka, I know you. You'd never hurt me."

"Marinette. I would never hurt you on purpose. But I'm sixteen. And, yeah, I think about sex." He took a deep breath, and raised his flushed face so that he could look her in the eyes. "And having this amazing girl, in my bed, wearing my shirt, with her hands all over me? Yeah, that's exactly where my mind goes." He blushed even harder. "And my body is more than willing to comply."

Her face was crimson as well now, her mouth forming a perfect little 'o', her bright blue eyes wide. Looking at her, he wondered why he was talking her into stopping him. "Marinette, you are important to me, and I don't want to do anything to screw that up." He reached for her hand, and she willingly slipped it into his. "Can we take this slow? Please? For my sanity?" He grinned at her at the last part, and she leaned into his shoulder.

"Of course, Luka. You are important to me, too. I trust you." Marinette reached over to cup his cheek, turning him to face her once again. Placing a sweet, chaste kiss on his lips, she stroked his cheek and smiled. "Thank you."

They each sat in their own worlds for a while, thinking about what had happened. "The wind seems to be dying down. Maybe we should get some sleep."

They laid back down together, his left arm wrapped around her shoulders, her head resting on his shoulder, one hand splayed across his chest. Her breathing soon evened out as she drifted off, but Luka lay awake for a long time, marveling at how lucky he was to have such an amazing woman in his arms. Eventually he drifted off, a soft smile on his face.

When Anarka arrived home early the next morning, she found the two curled together, sleeping peacefully, Luka wrapped protectively around Marinette, even in sleep. Anarka snapped a picture of the pair of them, sending it to Sabine, who smiled down at it fondly, before making a mental note to talk to her daughter about some of the dangers of dating an older boy.


	5. Lessons

Marinette and Luka were sitting on the floor of her bedroom, leaning back against the chaise. In theory, they were doing homework, their books spread out around them Marinette's paper on The Three Musketeers half written, Luka's trigonometry homework complete, but not yet put away. In reality, Luka was tenderly cupping Marinette's face with his right hand, his thumb gently brushing her bottom lip, completely lost in her eyes.

Sighing, Luka gently brushed his lips against hers, but pulled back before either of them could turn it into anything more. He'd been working really hard at taking things slowly with Marinette since they made their promise to each other, but it wasn't easy, especially since he still felt her fingers on his stomach every night in his dreams.

He curled up on the chaise to read his history textbook while Marinette finished her essay, his fingers tangling themselves in the ends of her pigtail as he read. He lost track of time, but it was a while later when Marinette set her tablet aside with a satisfied sigh. "Done?" He asked, rolling over to drop a kiss on her temple.

"Done." She agreed, turning her head to kiss him properly. "I want to bake some cookies to celebrate. Would you like to bake some macarons?"

"Will you teach me?"

"Of course! Unless you'd prefer my father do it…" She teased.

"And miss out on having the prettiest teacher in all of France? Of course not." Marinette blushed pink at the compliment, and started packing up to hide how much if flustered her.

Not being fooled for a second, Luka stood and pulled her in for a quick kiss, pulling back before she had a chance to reciprocate. Huffing her annoyance, Marinette tried to grab ahold of him, but he started down the stairs, his laugh rolling back towards her.

She chased after him, but tripped on the second to last step, and he turned in time to catch her, steadying her, before pressing a kiss to her forehead before stepping back again. Laughing at her frustrated spluttering, he reached for her hand, but she pushed him away, pouting dramatically, only causing him to laugh harder. When she realized her pouting wouldn't work, she relented, sticking her tongue out in retaliation, before sashaying past him into the kitchen.

Starting to pull out ingredients, Marinette turned to Luka. "I was thinking strawberry macarons with a chocolate ganache? Is that alright with you?"

"Sounds delicious. What can I do to help?"

"Will you preheat the oven, and then get the icing sugar down for me, please?" She asked, pointing at the top shelf.

"Sure thing, shorty."

"Hey!"

By the time all the ingredients were gathered, they were both laughing. Luka was a decent cook, as they'd always taken turns cooking in his family, but he'd never been very good at making desserts. Marinette, on the other hand, lived above a bakery, and had been making desserts since she was tiny.

Grabbing what was obviously her personal apron, Marinette put it on, pulling one of her father's for Luka, even though it swallowed his much slighter frame.

They worked well together, Luka following Marinette's directions, especially when she told him that macarons were a very exact science. Once the cookie part was completely combined, Marinette split the mixture into two piping bags, filling and handing him one, showing him how to drop the dough out onto the lined baking sheets.

Luka may have intentionally struggled with the piping bag, just so that he could stand behind her, his arms snaked under hers, chin resting on her shoulder, as she wrapped her hands over his, helping him pipe out the shells for the macarons. She caught on to what he was doing when he started nuzzling her ear. She swatted at him, laughing. "You aren't even paying attention, are you?"

"I'll have you know, I am an excellent student."

"Prove it"

Taking the bag from Marinette's hands, Luka piped out several almost-perfect circles. Hands on her hips, she watched him, a smile playing around her lips. He finished one tray, and switched to the other bag, smirking, ready to keep going, if not as swiftly as Marinette, then at least as accurately.

His plan hit a snag when Marinette sidled up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and nipping at his ear. Luka squeezed the bag in surprise, glopping out the dough, and releasing a farting noise from the bag.

Marinette's giggles erupted from her mouth, her breath blowing across his ear, causing him to shiver, and he turned in her arms, back up against the counter. His eyes were half lidded, and he looked at her through his lashes before whipping the pastry bag up and drawing a line of macaron batter down her nose.

His laughter started up as hers cut off, and she went cross eyed in an attempt to see what he'd done, and Luka took the opportunity to step away in an attempt to avoid retaliation. He wasn't fast enough, however, to avoid the stream of batter that came his way from the bag he'd abandoned on the counter.

Darting in and snatching up the other bag, he grinned in challenge at Marinette holding his bag at the ready. She laughed and countered him by dropping into a ready stance, turning her empty hand palm up and crooking her fingers in a 'bring it' gesture. Never being one to disappoint her, Luka went on the offensive, squeezing batter down the front of her shirt.

She came after him, wiping the batter off her neck and smearing it down his arm as she darted past. The war continued until a throat clearing in the doorway had them both freezing. Luka looked up at Marinette's father nervously, but she stepped past him, smearing batter on his cheek as she went past, and opening her arms to hug her father.

He held her at arm's length and shook his head. "Nope. Clean first. The kitchen and then yourselves. Let the boy take a shower, egg is very uncomfortable in your hair if it dries." Winking at the boy in question, he continued, "Hi, Luka. Are you staying to eat dinner, or did you just want to wear it?"

"Actually, Papa, we were planning on hanging out with some friends tonight."

"Of course! Have fun! Don't stay out too late!"

With that, Tom tossed a cleaning cloth to Marinette, and left the kitchen. Marinette and Luka's eyes met, and they both burst out laughing. They cleaned up the kitchen together while the few macarons they had managed to make were in the oven.

She sent him to go take a shower while the macarons cooled, and she whipped up the chocolate ganache, shyly offering him the pair of fleece lined sweatpants she'd been working on to match the hoodie she'd made him. They just needed hemming, so he could wear them, she'd needed him to try them on before she finished them anyway.

Marinette also handed him a bundle wrapped in cheery Christmas paper, even though Christmas was still a month away. He looked at her quizzically, and she shrugged, encouraging him to open it. He did, and a t-shirt of the softest cotton was inside, music notes embroidered across the front. He recognized the tune as the one he had been working on, and had been unable to find the sheet for a day, before it turned up, tucked under something else on his nightstand, somewhere he knew he'd looked before.

He raised his eyebrows at her, and she blushed, saying. "I'm sorry for borrowing it. I didn't think you'd notice it missing, and then I wasn't able to slip it back, and had to get Juleka to do it for me." He just laughed at her, kissing her forehead, and transferring some of the dough on his face to hers.

Luka showered, and Marinette finished making the macarons, placing them in a box for Luka to take home after their dinner. She was excited, Alya and Nino were joining them, as well as Luka's best friend Louis and his girlfriend, Odette.

Luka and Louis were an unlikely choice as best friends. Luka, whose music was loud and joyous, but whose personality was laid back and quiet and Louis, who was almost larger than life, a tall young man with an ebullient personality. He attended Lycee Paul Valery for their economics program, although his booming laugh and grand gestures seemed more inline with the arts students that attended the school.

They were, in most ways, completely opposite, even Louis' blonde hair and brown eyes contrasted with Luka's dark hair and blue eyes. Only their inherent kindness and selflessness seemed to e a common factor, yet they'd met 10 years ago, and had been best friends since day one.

Louis's girlfriend, Odette, was a year behind Luka and Louis, and a year ahead of Marinette and her friends. Marinette didn't know get all that well, as she and Louis had only been together for a few weeks, but she liked the older girl very much. Like Luka, she seemed to have a much needed calming influence on Louis.

Marinette thought on her new friends as age took a quick shower after throwing Luka's clothes in the washing machine. They were just finishing drying as Louis and Odette arrived at the bakery, and Luka stepped out to change, as Marinette texted Alya.

She got a message that they would meet them at the restaurant, as they'd picked up a couple of strays. Adrien and Kagami had become more adept at sneaking off from where they were supposed to be, and Nino had invited then to tag along.

The eight of them met at the restaurant, Marinette and Alya greeting each other with hugs, and even Kagami gave her a stiff hug. Nino and Louis, who had got along wonderfully at school since Marinette had introduced them, greeted each other with a complicated handshake that ended up with everyone laughing.

Luka's arm tightened slightly around Marinette's waist, when Adrien and Kagami walked up, but Marinette didn't notice, waving at Adrien, and asking him about school and his classes. She talked to him without fumbling her words, and, she noticed, without any kind of flutterings, her reaction to him was the same as it had been to Kagami: happiness at seeing a friend that she missed.

The eight of them sat together, laughing and joking, swapping stories about school and what they were studying. Kagami and Odette discovered a mutual love of archery, so the girls started chatting away, only a little awkwardly. Marinette gave Kagami an encouraging smile from across the table, which she returned.

After dinner they all ended up in the park across from Marinette's house, just talking and goofing around. They hadn't been out there long, when Marinette started shivering. "It's cold!" She complained. Nino agreed, nodding vigorously, but Luka just pulled his girlfriend into his lap, tugging his jacket around her, sharing his warmth. The others just laughed at her, Alya and Louis both cooing at the way Marinette was burrowing into Luka's jacket, although he was still wearing it. .

Odette was looking up at the sky, watching the clouds, and she caught the glimmer of a rainbow, sparkling up above. Pointing it out to everyone, and saying that it was both a symbol of good luck and an omen of happiness. Adrien and Alya both started to talk over each other, but Alya let Adrien go first, although swiftly wished that she hadn't.

"Where do bad rainbows go?" Adrien asked, but at everyone's look of confusion, he grinned. "To prism!" Everybody groaned, shaking their heads as Adrien beamed.

Alya shot him a disgusted look, but was unable to keep the smirk off her face. "What I was going to say, was that if rainbows mean both good luck and happiness, does that mean that Ladybug is happy right now?"

As the discussion turned to the superheroes, Marinette smiled, her face buried in Lukas neck. When he turned his face a little to kiss her hair she thought to herself that right now, Ladybug was very happy indeed.


	6. HurtComfort

_OK, you cannot give me a prompt like hurt/comfort and not expect me to do something like this. Honestly I'm surprised I've written so much fluff so far. Apparently Lukanette brings out my fluffy side. Anyway... WARNING! There is (temporary) Major Character Death in this chapter. Nothing terribly gory or graphic, but it's there. Like, someone's dying in the first paragraph. You've been warned. _

* * *

Ladybug's body cartwheeled through the air, crashing into a wall, causing loose bricks from the top to cascade down onto her limp form. She landed on her back, empty eyes wide open and staring up at the sky. A final brick toppled and fell, striking Ladybug square in the forehead, causing a flash of pink light to erupt around her, and a red ball shot from her earring, skidding across the ground, bouncing lightly.

Tikki came to rest, unmoving, ten feet to the left of Marinette's lifeless body. The heroes gathered around, all in varying states of shock. Huge, wracking sobs welled from Rena's chest as she sank to her knees, while Carapace just stared at her, mouth covered in horror, eyes blown wide. Chat's keening cry echoed through the streets around them, drowning out the ragged, softly spoken words. "Second Chance."

With a flash, the heroes were back at their reset point with no memory of what they had just witnessed, so everyone was shocked when Viperion, sobbing openly, threw his arms around Ladybug, crushing her close, and half collapsing with her against the wall of the alley. The wall pressing at his back was the only thing keeping him upright, the raw emotion playing across his face visible to all the shocked heroes.

Ladybug stroked his arms soothingly, holding him tight, her face buried in the crook of his neck. Burying his face in her hair, he took several long steadying breaths until he was shaking less violently. "I saw you _die_ Ladybug. You just- He just- it wasn't like you vanished. You were there, and not breathing, and then your kwami was ejected from your miraculous, and she wasn't moving either. And you were dead, Bug. I just couldn't."

The tears ran freely down his face, and Ladybug reached up to cup his cheek. "I am SO sorry, Viperion. Please understand why. I AM sorry." A tear traced its way down Ladybug's face, and he reached up and wiped it away with his thumb.

"Don't apologize." He breathed the words into her ear. "I understand, I do. Just, not knowing until I'd lost you… I can't do that again. Lose you. Not like that. Standing on her tiptoes, Ladybug pressed a brief, but passionate kiss to his lips, that Viperion grasped it like a lifeline, pouring all his fear, despair and love into the kiss.

They broke apart as a throat cleared behind them. "If you guys are quite finished," Chat drawled, "we have an akuma to fight. And then you'll have to explain what on earth just happened."

Ladybug's face turned the color of her suit, although Viperion remained ashen. Pushing away gently to look at him, once again back in hero mode, Ladybug gently asked him if there was anything about the akuma that he was able to share. He was able to get out enough information that there were no surprises, and the akuma was defeated with no more mishaps.

The team planned to reconvene on "their" roof half an hour later. Ladybug and Viperion headed straight there, needing to talk before the others arrived. When they landed, Luka dropped his transformation, and just wrapped his arms around Ladybug.

"Luka, I am so sorry. I couldn't tell you. It has been so hard being so close to you and not being able to show how I feel. The lies I've had to tell. I hate it all. You once told me that I could tell you everything or nothing. This is everything. This is what I do when I disappear, and offer terrible excuses, although it has been a little easier when you've had to make them, too. I hate so much that I have to lie, all the time, and I never wanted to lie to you."

"Marinette." He whispered her name into her hair. "I've always admired you. You inspire so many, just being you. Knowing that you do all this on top of that... " He trailed off, and took a deep breath. Ladybug dropped her transformation and handed Tikki a cookie, with the admonition to be quick. The little red creature smiled and nodded, and flew off to sit with Sass as he, too, was munching on a snack.

Luka sat with his back to the wall, and Marinette sat in his lap, carding her fingers through his hair, stroking the back of his neck, and resting her forehead against his. They shared another kiss, gentle and sweet, and full of all the things they had yet to say to each other.

Eventually they broke apart, knowing that the others would be arriving soon, and stood. Their fingers remained intertwined, and foreheads touching as they called for their transformations. As the miraculous magic washed over them, they sighed and stepped back from each other, letting a world of responsibilities settle back on their shoulders.

As the others started arriving Viperion sat, knees drawn up, his head resting in his hands. Ladybug paced the roof, nervous about what she was going to share. Viperion knowing her identity was a liability, and it would deeply hurt Chat. She wished that could be avoided, because she truly loved the amazing man her partner was, and she'd told him many times that they couldn't date in the suits.

Chat was the first to arrive. He looked disappointed, but not angry. "After you've said what you need to say, I need to talk to the two of you." The statement came out flat and emotionless, but Ladybug caught the agitation in the twisting of the tip of his tail. She placed her hands over his. "It's OK, I am really sorry. I promise we will talk about this later."

When Rena and Carapace arrived, Viperion briefly ran through what he had seen in the abandoned timeline. "I'm sorry for my reaction. Losing Ladybug would have been bad enough." He paused and scrubbed his hands over his face. "When her transformation dropped, I saw the face of M-my girlfriend, and I had no idea how to handle it. I reset the timeline, but seeing her standing there, mask on, with no idea that anything had happened…"

Viperion trailed off, then took a deep breath. "Well, it kinda broke me." His eyes were trained on the ground, but they raised when Ladybug reached over and squeezed his hand.

"I couldn't tell anyone who I was, including Viperion. I hate lying to everyone about my identity. I have to. Obviously I knew who he is. He now knows who I am. I didn't mean for this to happen, and I still want to keep this information to myself."

Ladybug finally stopped pacing. "Nothing against you guys, it just had to remain a secret."

Rena nodded. "We understand, Ladybug. We know you would have told Chat first. Sorry, Viper, but they've been together for a long time. I'm still happy for you guys."

"We get it Ladydude! See you at the next fight!" With that, Carapace looked at Rena Rouge, and they ran off together.

Looking at her partner, Ladybug smiled ruefully. "She's right you know. Rena. I would have told you first. If I didn't have to lie, none of this would have happened."

Chat placed his hand on Ladybug's upper arm, stroking it up and down once. "Please sit down. We need to talk." The flat quality still remained in his voice, but hurt had crept into his eyes.

Ladybug sat between the two boys, and touched Chat's knee. "What's on your mind?" She asked kindly.

"I, um, well…" Chat took a deep breath and glanced at Ladybug, before training his eyes on the stars above. "I figured out who you are."

Ladybug gasped. "_How?"_

"Well" Chat fiddled with the end of his tail nervously. Ladybug was surprised to see her normally confident kitty appear so nervous, and covered his hand with hers, stilling it. "I, um" His voice was barely above a whisper as he continued. "I know who Viperion is." The last sentence came out all as one word, and Chat closed his eyes, as Viperion tensed on Ladybug's other side.

"I know, because I was there when you gave him the miraculous. I encouraged you to do it, after I failed all those times."

Viperion was sitting up, back ramrod straight, his grip tightening on Ladybug's hand, while Ladybug had gone absolutely motionless, eyes blown wide. "Adrien?" She asked, her voice hoarse, but full of wonder.

He nodded, and she leaned towards him, as he whispered her name. "Marinette." Flushing, at being addressed by her real name while in hero mode, she smiled at him, and nodded. "Has Kagami figured it out?"

Chat looked surprised at the question. "Why would she?"

"Aren't you guys dating?"

Smiling sadly, Chat shook his head. "No. We're just good friends."

Ladybug blew out a long breath. "Chat. _Adrien_." She shook her head, still trying to reconcile the two boys in her mind. "You're my best friend. Whatever is stopping you from pursuing her, don't let it. You deserve to be happy."

Chat shook his head and stared up at the sky, leaning back on his hands, long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles in front of him. He murmured to himself, her, or even the stars above, she wasn't sure, "You're hard to get over."

Viperion's fingers tightened reflexively on hers, and she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Chat, I'm sorry. We talked about this weeks ago, when I told you I was dating someone. I can't return your feelings. I don't want to hurt you, especially now, but I love Luka."

Viperion stiffened in surprise, hearing those words for the first time. He had been worried when Chat had revealed himself that he would lose Marinette to Adrien, but hearing his girlfriend admit that she loved him for the very first time made his heart soar, almost making up for the trauma that brought them to this point.

Ladybug and Chat talked for a little while longer, but Viperion tuned them out. Marinette loved him. At least she had told Adrien that she loved Luka. He started to smile. He couldn't help it. Luka had been worried that he was just a rebound for Marinette, and if Adrien paid her any attention she would be gone. But Marinette had just told _Adrien_ that she loved him, Luka, instead. He didn't realize he was humming until Ladybug turned to him and smiled. She brushed the green tips of his hair and simply asked, "Ready?"

At his nod, she turned back to Chat Noir, and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. Cupping Chat's cheek, she smiled sadly. "You ARE my best friend. If you ever need me, Kitty, I will be there for you. I promise. Now you can always find me."

With one last glance over his shoulder, Chat nodded, and leaped off into the night. Ladybug held her hand out to Viperion and grinned. "Walk me home?"

He threw back his head and laughter bubbled out of his throat. "I guess I really don't have to worry about you walking home on your own at night, do I?"

She grinned back at him. "Probably not, but I like that you do."

Together they bounded across the rooftops, splitting up and coming back together to land on her balcony. Ladybug squeezed his hand and dropped her transformation. Pushing up on her tiptoes, she kissed Viperion's cheek. "I'll be right back."

Disappearing into her skylight, she was gone for almost 10 minutes. Luka dropped his transformation, and offered up a snack to Sass, who flew over and started talking with a red kwami with enormous blue eyes.

When Marinette came back, her smile glowed with joy. "Maman said you could stay the night, but you couldn't sleep in my bed. If we stay in my room the trapdoor has to be open at all times, or we have to be downstairs on the couch."

A deep blush crept up Luka's neck and stole across his face. Realizing the implications of what she'd said, Marinette's face quickly matched. "I-I-I just meant that so much has happened tonight. I figured we needed to talk. More than we did already, I mean. And I just want to be here with you."

"I only have one question. None of the rest of it really matters. Did you mean what you said to Chat?" At her quizzical look he half smiled, the left side of his mouth quirking up. "Marinette, do you love me?"

The blush that had started to fade from her cheeks, returned with interest. "I'm sorry. I know we said that we were going to take it slow, and not rush anything, but it just kind of happened, and well, _yes._ Luka, I love you. I love how you make me feel protected and cared for. I love how I am more inspired when I am with you. I want to be a better person, whenever I am around you. You mean the world to me, Luka Couffaine. I love you."

He leaned down and cupped her cheek, his stormy blue eyes capturing hers. "Marinette, I have always loved you. That's nothing new, but I wanted to wait until you were ready to hear it. Now, I want you to know in case I lose you."" She gasped, and her eyes flickered down to his lips, just for a moment, but then he was kissing her, and all further thoughts flew out of her head. Sighing happily, she threaded her fingers up into Luka's hair.

The next morning, Sabine peeked into her daughter's open bedroom door to see the two of them together in a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor, Luka curled protectively around Marinette, a peaceful smile on both of their faces. Smiling to herself, she let them sleep, snapping a picture to send to Anarka.


	7. NotesClef

_Some fluff to make up for yesterday!_

* * *

"Are you busy tomorrow?"

Luka looks at his girlfriend in surprise. She'd just been texting up a storm, he assumed with Alya. "Yeah. I don't have to work until Saturday, why?"

"Because I just finished up my commission. The one I couldn't really talk about? Wanna come with me to deliver it?"

"Sure, Mari. But I don't want to make things awkward or anything."

"Trust me… it'll be fine."

He shrugged. "Sure. I'd love to."

"Great! I'm going straight after school."

The next day, Luka was curious about what the commissioned item was, and was worried when he saw Marinette rushing up the stairs with no extra bag in her hands. "Mari! Did you bring your commission with you?"

Patting her bag, she smiled. "It's in here." Pulling out a black portfolio, she smiled at him. Their friends had gathered around, curious.

"Sorry, guys. I can't show you yet. I promised Jagged he'd be the first one to see it."

Louis's eyes grew wide. "Jagged? As in Jagged Stone?"

"Um, yeah. It's his new album cover." Marinette shuffled her feet, a little embarrassed by all the attention.

"Not that you aren't talented, but why is a 14 year old designing his new album cover? How do you even get a gig like that?"

Marinette shrugged. "Well, I'm doing this one because he really liked the last one I did for him."

"Last one?"

"Rock Giant."

"You designed that?"

"Yeah. He asked me to do it because he hated the design that Bob Roth was forcing on him, and he loved the sunglasses I made for him. You know, the Eiffel Tower ones? And please, Louis, keep your voice down!"

While his best friend was getting more and more excited, Luka was just staring at his girlfriend. "Why did I not know any of this?" He rounded on his sister, but kept his voice soft. "Jule. Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"Um… because I did? But it was before you were all into Marinette, so you probably didn't listen."

"I think I remember you saying something, but it was around the time that liar girl showed up, so I think I must have lumped it all together."

He snaked an arm around Marinette, pulling her to him, kissing her softly. Moving his lips close to her ear, he asked quietly, "Are you hiding any other things from me? I mean, could you be any more amazing?"

Blushing a delicate shade of pink, Marinette stood up on her toes, kissing him hard, trying to hide how flustered she was. Luka just pulled her tighter, and the look that he gave her when she pulled back left her breathless.

Reaching up to cup his cheek she whispered, her breath tickling his ear, "I love you, Luka."

Pure joy smacked into him as he heard those words, leaving Luka feeling like he'd been run over by happiness, a little dazed, but his heart was full.

He crushed Marinette to him, burying his red face in her neck, wondering how this was his life. His girlfriend, who just happened to be the city's leading superhero, had designed his favorite singer's album cover, and was going to take Luka to see him this afternoon.

"We're going to go see Jagged Stone this afternoon!" Luka said to her, voicing the last thought aloud.

Grinning up at him, Marinette nodded. "Yep. He said that he enjoyed playing with you last time, and that you're really talented, and he'd love another opportunity to play with you."

Luka's jaw dropped, and Marinette gently kissed his cheek. "Come on. We'll be late to class."

Looking around, Luka noticed that the stream of people heading into the school had slowed to a trickle, and tugged along by Marinette's hand in his, made his way into the entryway.

With one more gently kiss on his cheek, Marinette turned Luka in the direction of his classroom, and gave him a gentle shove. "Your class is that way. Don't be late!" She giggled as she headed to her class, glancing back to check that he was, in fact, moving, before she rounded the corner for her own classroom.

At the end of the day, the pair exited the school to find a limo waiting by the school entrance, Penny leaning up against it. Jagged Stone's assistant waved at them as they approached, and ushered the pair into the back seat.

As they headed back towards Le Grand Paris Hotel, where Jagged always stayed whenever he was in town, Penny and Marinette chatted about details, and laid out a schedule for any changes to be made, if necessary. Luka stared at his girlfriend, completely besotted, and tried hard not to listen to the sum of money that Marinette was receiving, or the fact that she was receiving a commission from each album sold. When he asked her about that later, she said that her parents had refused to let Jagged buy her expensive gifts, so this was his way of taking care of her, having told her parents that it was standard industry practice.

Shrugging, she told him that most of it was put away for later, although some of it she spent on fabric. He laughed then and kissed her on the temple.

Once they reached Jagged's room, they all sat down on the couch, and Marinette pulled out the album design. Unlike the Rock Giant album that was blue and shadowy, this one was bright and eye catching in shades of green, with a stylized Fang front and center. 'Jagged Stone' and 'Fangs for the Memories' were scrawled across it in poison green letters, the same shade as Chat Noir's eyes, since Jagged had admitted to her that he was the one who had suggested the album title.

Upon hearing that, Marinette had rolled her eyes, but run with the theme, producing something Jagged pronounced "her best work yet!"

After that, Jagged's eyes turned to Luka. "Ah, yes! You're Anarka's boy, right? Luka wasn't it?" At Luka's nod Jagged grinned. "All right then, let's see what you've got. Vivica had to go home for a couple of weeks, and I have 2 concerts here in Paris I need a guitarist for. If you are half as good as your mother, then you'll do. You've got to be something special the way Marinette here talks about you."

Blushing, Luka stammered out something he hoped was intelligible, although he was unsure of the actual works he spoke. He reached for his acoustic guitar that he had set down when they first walked in, and started strumming. He played his dancing nerves at sitting there and auditioning for Jagged Stone, the calming melody that was Marinette, he played the bouncing, frantic song that was Jagged Stone, and the efficient, kind tune that was Penny. Then he switched to Jagged's own song about Ladybug, and then Clara Nightingale's song about the heroes, singing along softly in his rich tenor.

"Awesome!" Jagged cried when he had finished. "Talk with Penny about the dates, and when we can do some rehearsals. I'll talk to Nanarchy, and make sure she is good with all this." Jagged turned back to Marinette, who had been watching Luka with an encouraging smile on her face. "This one's a keeper."

Both Marinette and Luka's cheeks were stained pink, but when their eyes met, they couldn't look away. Ghosting her fingers across Luka's cheek, she said on an exhale, "I know."

The first show was in nine days. Anarka had given her blessing, and Luka had been rehearsing with Jagged every day after school. Luka still worked his regular job, and was completely exhausted. He had to miss work for the performance, but when he explained to his manager about why he had to miss, he was waved away, being told not to worry about it, to keep following his passion.

The day of the concert came. Marinette hadn't seen much of Luka since that day at Le Grand Paris, but her heart was bursting with pride for him. Marinette stood with Juleka in the front row, while the rest of Kitty Section, as well as Louis, Odette and the rest of his friends were further back in the audience.

Luka was nervous as he stepped out on the stage, but seeing Marinette there in the front row calmed his nerves. She and Juleka both screamed his name, waving their arms, grins splitting their faces. Marinette blew him a kiss, and their eyes locked for a few seconds, electricity shooting through her body.

Once the concert started, Luka was completely into the music. It was an absolutely exhilarating experience, and he still couldn't believe this was really happening. When Jagged thanked him near the end of the performance, his face, fortunately was already red from the heat of the lights because the screams of appreciation were from way more people than just his friends.

When the show was over, Marinette and Juleka came barreling backstage, his girlfriend dragging his sister by the hand. When she saw him, her face lit up. Making sure that he was not holding his guitar, she launched herself at him, and he staggered as he caught her, and then she was kissing him, arms wrapped around his neck, legs locked around his waist.

It was Jagged Stone's joyful whooping that had Marinette breaking the kiss, and realizing their positioning, she turned bright pink. "You were amazing, Luka!" She panted, trying to catch her breath, dropping her feet back down to the floor. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around her burying his face in her hair. "Thank you." He sighed into her ear. "You are the reason I had this opportunity."

Marinette pulled back as if he'd slapped her. "You cannot believe that, can you? I'm not the reason. YOU are! If you were not as insanely talented as you are you would not have had this opportunity. This is what you are meant to be doing." She looked up at him with those blue eyes of hers, and he was completely lost.

The second performance, two days later, had a similar setup. Marinette and Juleka were in the front row, and a few of his friends who weren't able to make it the last time were there, alongside Alya and Nino. He even spotted Adrien and Kagami near the front, Adrien giving him a little wave, and Kagami offering up an awkward smile. He hadn't seen Marinette before the show, and seeing her standing there, wearing ripped jeans, a kitty section tank top, her hair hanging loose around her shoulders, dark shadow on her eyes making the blue really pop, he was really glad that he didn't sing on the first song, because he wasn't sure that he could have made a sound.

Eventually, he was able to pull his eyes off of her, and focus on his music. Backstage after the show, he was ready for Marinette to throw herself at him again. He caught her easily this time kissing her soundly. They broke apart, and he shivered as her breath tickled his ear, as she whispered, "I love you, rockstar."


	8. Discord

_Thank you guys for joining me for Lukanette Week! I had a blast writing it, and hope you enjoyed reading it! A little angst today, but I promise it ends with some fluff._

* * *

Luka was standing in the school's entranceway with his back to the door talking with Louis, Juleka, Rose and some of their other friends. Louis smiled, waving and called out "Hey Marinette!" Luka stiffened but didn't turn around. Marinette smiled at Louis and waved, greeting most of the group, and then turned to Juleka. "Shall we head to class?"

Everyone looked surprised, glancing back and forth between Marinette and Luka, the pair pointedly ignoring each other. Juleka shrugged, giving Louis a look that said they'd each try to get information out of their respective friends. She was surprised Luka hadn't said anything last night, but he'd stayed out on the deck late, strumming his guitar, and she hadn't been awake when he'd come to bed. He'd seemed normal enough that morning, so she hadn't got any information out of him.

Juleka asked Marinette if she was alright, and Marinette gave her a sunny smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, saying that she was fine. As they walked into class, Nino bounced over. "Have you seen the pictures on the Ladyblog this morning? Alya's mad she didn't take them." As they shook their heads, he whipped out his phone, showing pictures of what was obviously a livid Ladybug, jabbing a finger into Viperion's chest. The normally placid superhero was also enraged, his face red, his visible hand balled into a fist by his side.

"This was after the akuma attack yesterday. Apparently they were smiling and fine until Chat left, and then Ladybug rounded on Viperion. She kept her voice low enough that they couldn't hear what she was saying, but it was obvious that she was completely laying into him. Alya had video of the akuma attack, and Viperion had been stepping out of his normal observational role, stepping in front of Ladybug, getting in the way of her attacks, and almost ruining her Lucky Charm."

"Maybe she was mad at him because he stopped trusting her to do her job, and was ruining their teamwork. Something must have happened and he no longer thinks she's capable of doing her job."

"You're right, Marinette." Nino agreed. "Nobody has seen him for a few weeks, and then he shows back up acting strangely. But I don't think Viperion doesn't believe in Ladybug. It's more that he was acting super protective. Like he doesn't want to see her hurt." Nino thought back to the last time they were together, and how Viperion had reacted to seeing Ladybug truly hurt. He didn't know why Viperion had been missing, but he knew that he respected Ladybug's abilities.

Louis had been trying to get information out of Luka, but he didn't get much. When they were leaving the day before, Luka and Marinette had been just as happy and attached at the hip as usual, and according to Luka, he'd gone straight home, while Marinette stayed at school to work on a group project for class. After that she'd gone home, and worked on designs and homework.

By lunchtime, nobody had figured out what had happened. While Marinette and Luka sometimes sat with his friends, sometimes with hers, and sometimes they sat all together as a group, that day Marinette sat with her friends and Luka sat with his. Both looked a little hurt, but acted as if absolutely nothing was wrong. Nino had texted Alya asking if Marinette had talked to her about Luka, but Alya hadn't heard anything either. She took it upon herself to text everyone in their friends group, coming up empty. When Marinette left to go to the bathroom, Juleka reported that Louis had not had any luck getting information from Luka, either.

Everyone was baffled. A message pinged in their group chat as they were clearing up their lunch things. Adrien said he had an idea, and he would try to talk to them, but didn't give any further details.

Since they weren't talking, Marinette didn't know that Adrien had sent her a text as well as Luka, asking him to meet at a park midway between their schools. He had sent Marinette the same text, but the pair only discovered it when they both arrived in a secluded corner to see Adrien sitting on the bench. Marinette could almost picture his tail twisting nervously.

Adrien looked at Marinette, and saw the hurt radiating off her in waves. He turned his attention to Luka, who's eyes shone with fear. Standing, Adrien put one hand on his hip, and with as much menace as he could muster, growled at them. "OK, you two. What the hell happened? You went from the perfect couple to not speaking overnight. All your friends are concerned, but neither of you has told them anything." He paused, crossing his arms across his chest and glared. "I know this has something to do with the akuma battle yesterday. You were caught fighting after that. Talk. If not to each other, then talk to me."

To his surprise, Marinette burst into tears. Luka watched her, looking completely devastated as he watched his girlfriend cry, unable to comfort her. Adrien glanced at Luka, then stepped up to Marinette, putting his hand on her shoulder. Tikki, too, had emerged from Marinette's purse, and was petting her hair. "What's wrong, Mari?" Adrien asked.

"Ladybug is perfect. She has to be. She's strong and confident, and everybody believes in her. They expect her to protect Paris. You've always known she could do it." Marinette let out another sob, and took a few moments to compose herself, scanning the skies, nervously. Tikki said something to her softly, and Marinette nodded, focusing her attention on Adrien, as Tikki hovered nearby looking out for akumas.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette twisted her hands and spoke softly. "When Luka learned who Ladybug really was, he didn't trust her anymore. He knows me too well. He didn't trust Ladybug to take care of herself, let alone Paris." Dropping to sit on the bench, she drew her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees, tears running down her cheeks.

Luka glanced, wild-eyed at Adrien before stepping forwards and dropping to his knees in front of her. "Is that what you thought?" His voice was raw with emotion, his hands trembling as he reached out to touch one knee. Marinette raised her face from her knees, meeting his eyes for the first time in almost twenty four hours, and nodded.

"Mari, no. I believe in you. You are the strongest person I know. I have no doubt that you can do anything you put your mind to. I know you don't need me to protect you, but this was the first time I've been out there with you since that day. Since I saw you die." Luka reached out, cupping her cheek and wiping her tears away with his thumb.

"As hard as it was staying away during those two weeks I was working with Jagged Stone, I did it because you asked me to. Because I know you didn't need me there. It was worse being right there and seeing the akuma targeting you. It was harder to focus on what I needed to do. Not because I don't think you can do it, but because I know I can't do it without you. I can't see you hurt. I can't deal with that again. I know I overreacted, and I'm sorry."

Marinette was watching Luka as he spoke, and when he was done, she pulled him close, burying her face into his neck. "That's my job. Maybe Ladybug can do it on her own, but she's at her best when she has her team around her. And Marinette definitely needs Luka. I don't know what I would do without you." Luka wrapped his arms around her, and they stayed there, pressed together until Adrien tried to slip away.

Marinette pulled back when she heard Adrien's tread on the path. Standing, she stroked Luka's hair as she stepped towards her partner. Without speaking, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. Kissing his cheek, softly, she whispered into his ear. "Thank you, Kitty. You'll always be my partner, and you are always looking out for me. In the suits or out of them. You mean the world to me."

Adrien smiled weakly at her, and hugged her back. "I just gave you guys the opportunity to talk."

"But you knew we needed to. Thank you, Kitty."

As they were getting ready to leave, Luka turned to Marinette. "Go on ahead, I want to talk to Adrien for a moment. When she was out of earshot, he turned back to Adrien. "Thank you, Adrien, I really appreciate you helping us, but why did you? I know you love her." When Adrien started, Luka shook his head. "Anyone with eyes knows how much Chat Noir loves Ladybug. I guess I assumed you'd use this opportunity to tell her." Luka looked around awkwardly as Adrien flushed, and stared at the ground.

After a few moments, he raised his eyes to Luka's. "You're right, on all counts. I do love her, and I've been kicking myself for the number of times I've seen Marinette become Ladybug without putting the suit on, and never put it together." Adrien shuffled his feet nervously, his eyes fixing on the tree behind Luka's head. "And it's not that long ago that I would have done exactly that. But she doesn't love me." His voice broke a little, and he paused a few moments to compose himself. "She loves you. You make her happy. And more than I want her to love me, I want her to find happiness. She deserves that."

Smiling a smile that most people would believe as genuine, Adrien shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, your fight was stupid. You were figuring out how to deal with protecting someone you love while knowing she is the most capable woman in the world." Adrien's grin finally became the real thing. "You have no idea how many times she's yelled at me for stepping in and taking the hit instead of her. But she can fix it. I can't. You can fix it too. I don't know if it helps, but you can make things right again."

Luka reached out, and enveloped Adrien in a quick but fierce hug. "Thank you. If it helps, she really wants you to be happy, too."

Adrien smiled. "That does help. Thank you. Now you'd better go, because if I know Marinette, she's not waiting terribly patiently for you."

When Luka came around the bend in the path, he almost ran straight into Marinette who was pacing across the path, waiting for him. He put his arm out to steady them, and Marinette stepped into his embrace, pressing herself into his chest, her arms tight around his back. Luka's arms closed around her with a similar need to anchor himself against her. They stood that way for a full minute, before Marinette asked him to walk her home.

He reached for her hand, but Marinette ignored it, wrapping her arm around his waist. He smiled down at her and slung his arm across her back, his fingers curling around her bicep. They turned together towards the bakery. As the streets got busier, they walked hand in hand, originally heading towards the bakery, but ending up strolling along the Seine, finding themselves approaching the Couffaines' houseboat.

As they step onboard, they hear a murmur of voices coming from inside the cabin. Pausing, they shared a gentle kiss before they head inside to find out what was going on. Luka dropped her hand as he stepped forward to open the door to their living room. As soon as the door opened all eyes turn to Luka. Louis is standing front and center, and immediately asks how Luka is doing. Most of his friends from school, and a good chunk of Marinette's are gathered in the living room, watching him intently.

Luka froze, then stumbled forward as Marinette ran into the back of him. Peeking around Luka, her eyes went wide at all the people staring at them. She waved at the gathered group nervously, looking to Luka for an explanation. He shrugged, shaking his head, and then turned to Louis, one eyebrow raised, questioningly.

Surprisingly, it was Juleka who answered his silent question. "You two were acting weird." She shrugged. "It was your first fight. We didn't want it to be your last." Rose cooed at that statement, and everyone started laughing.

Marinette smiled ruefully. "It was my fault. I misinterpreted something he did, and wouldn't let him explain."

Pulling her in front of him and tucking her under his chin, Luka disagreed with her. "No, it was my fault. I shouldn't have let you think I didn't believe in you."

As they started to argue about who's fault it was, the group began to laugh. One of Luka's friends called out, "Just kiss her already!" So they happily obliged.

Later, after all their friends had left, and it was just Juleka and Rose left on the boat, watching a movie, while Luka and Marinette were sitting in Luka's room. Luka had started out playing for her, but Marinette asked him if he would put the guitar down so that they could snuggle, and he happily complied. Luka lay back on his bed, and Marinette had her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and the soft rumble of his voice as he sang to her.

Eyes closing, at complete peace in her surroundings, Marinette tilted her head up slightly to kiss the underside of his chin. He tilted his head down to capture her lips, and she pushed herself up, so that they were laying side by side, his arm around her waist, her hand splayed on his chest. They stayed that way for a long time, trading slow, comforting kisses, just happy to be together, relaxed and content.

When they fell asleep, nestled together, it was Juleka that took the picture on her phone, Luka and Marinette, holding each other close, a smile playing across each of their lips. She sent it to their friends with the caption, "Everything is right with the world."


End file.
